Module 4 - Trade Unions Flashcards
1
Q
What is the history of trade unions?
A
- Trade unions were formed because workers (in the emerging capitalist systems of western Europe) realised that they needed to act together in order to protect their working conditions.
- It is suggested that the origin of the union movement in Australia dates back to the 19th century and the arrival of 6 convicts in 1834 known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs. These guys tried to form a union and was basically convicted of it which caused outrage from the public. They ended up getting a royal pardon however, Australian workers took their cue from this and started to organise themselves.
- Trade unionism falls under the general banner of “organised labour”, that is workers who band together.
- The defining moment for organised labour in the early nineteenth-century Australia was the 1828 Masters and Servants Act, which was drawn up in the colony of New South Wales and was an adaptation of existing British laws. the legislation strongly favoured the employer
- there was only isolated union development in the first half of the eighteenth-century leading up to 1840 e.g. 1831 Boatbuilders union formed
- 1850 marked the end of convict transportation to NSW and Victoria and in 1851 the gold rush led to significant movement of the working population and immigration although the economy slumped in 1855. Immigration, the economic activity it generated, and the gold rushes in the 1850s provided fertile ground for union development where labour was scarce with many workers abandoning jobs for the lure of the goldfields.
- The nature of the union movement changed in the 1870s with the development of the “New Unionism”. As indicated, the earlier unions were craft-based. These new unions tended to cover unskilled and semi-skilled workers and covered whole industries e.g. workers such as miners, shearers, rural workers, and sailors.
- In the 1890s depression, Some unions became inactive for several years if not for decades
- the great strikes of 1890 – 1894 was about the battle of collectivism versus individualism which was fought over the introduction of industrial relations legislation in the colonial and later with the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 in the new Australian parliament.
2
Q
What are the 4 developments which were significant to the labour movement?
A
- Combining unions through amalgamations: 4.3.1
One example was the formation of the Australian Workers’ Union in 1894 from the Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australia and the General Labourers Union. - Combining unions into peak union organisations, or labour councils 4.3.2
labour councils were developed as peak union bodies to present a united front within each of the colonies and later the states
This was taken from the textbook p48: The growth of unions in the 1880’s lead to the establishment to the union council. These councils provided unions with the means of coordinating their activities. Both councils (Melbourne Trades Hall Council and Sydney Trades and Labour council) played an active role in the management of industrial disputes, giving advice and organising support from other union organisations on planned strike actions. - Establishing an independent body to deal with industrial disputes through conciliation and arbitration 4.3.3
Although there had been attempts to legislate for conciliation or arbitration as early as the 1860s the most significant attempt was the NSW Trade Disputes Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1892, which established Councils of Conciliation consisting of equal numbers of employer and employee representatives and a Council of Arbitration. This latter body was composed of an employee representative, an employer representative and a president agreed upon by the other two or by the NSW Governor
Use of the process was voluntary, hardly used, and commentators have regarded it as ineffectual - Gaining political power through the establishment of a Labor Party 4.3.4
In queensland 1980, labour based political party called the Australian Labour Federation (ALF) was established.
The ALF was not the Labor Party but it led to the formation of a labour party
3
Q
What is meant by labour movement?
A
When we use the term, labour movement, we refer to the development and operation of workers’ organisations especially trade unions. We should already be clear about the “labour” part of the term – it refers to workers. By movement we mean “a course or series of actions and endeavours on the part of a body of people towards some special end”
4
Q
What are unions like in the 20th century?
A
One of the most significant of these in the early days of the new nation of Australia was the development of a system of conciliation and arbitration. These tribunals had the authority to compel the attendance of both parties at the hearing of a dispute and to enforce legally binding awards.
With the introduction of these tribunals, it gave many concessions to the union movement such as formally recognising unions as legitimate representaitives of wokers and ensured that employers observed the orders of the tribunals.
The tribunal also actively encouraged the development and trade unionism and in fact embedded this into their principal objective of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act.
5
Q
What are the theories of the labour movement?
A
1- Unions as a Product of Class Consciousness and Agents for Revolution: o According to Karl Marx, trade unions were a product of working-class consciousness and arose in response to the deprivations they experienced under capitalism. Thus, for Marx, unions are representatives of the working class and its attempt to protect wages and working conditions. 2- Unions as Agents of Industrial Reform; Webbs believed that unions could reform capitalism and ensure adequate conditions for workers. 3- Unions as Defenders of Economic Self-interest and emergent theories: o Unions play a protective role (ie against low wages) within a capitalistic system.
6
Q
What are some reasons for union decline?
A
- A reduction i the number of government ees – the public sector has a higher unionisation rate than the private sector.
- A decrease in the size of the manufacturing sector and an increase in the size of the service industry – the service sector has a lower unionisation rate
- A reduction in the number og blue collar woerkers and an increase in the number of while collar workers associated with the changing structure of tthe economny.
- Casualisation of the workforce, with more people moving away from full-time work to part-time work, cause work, self-employment and home-based work (it is harder for unions to recruit casual and home based employees.
- Increasing number of female workers who are less likely to join union, taking up employment- women tend to be employed in less unionised industries, in part-time or casual roles and supposedly have less attachment to their jobs; it has also been argued that unions do not properly address women’s workplace issues
- Increasing number of woekrs being employed in smaller organisations – small business tends to have lower rates of union membership among its ees.
- A rise in unemployment levels.
- The introduction of the Accord by the ALP and the ACTU in 1983 – the Accord was negotiated at the peak level of membership and weakened the position of trade unions because industrial action was restricted, and real wages and working conditions were reduced.
- A community perception, supported by the media, that unions are too powerful and unresponsive to members needs and that union members often resort to thuggery and violence
- Industrial relations reforms under the Keating Government, with the introduction of the Industrial Relations Reform Act 1993 and subsequent legislation promoting the adoption of enterprise bargaining at federal level.
- Political protection and the special attention received by trade unions in Australia historically – according to Cranston, this has led to the development of high levels of self-interest among the top union hierarchy.
